A Portrait Of A Young Girl
by SebastianGirl1994
Summary: Snow Winters wasn't collected from school and went in search of her parents. It was here that she found an art gallery with the Guertena exhibit. Snow decides to wonder around...only for the other visitors to leave. What happened? And why is she the only one left?
1. Prologue

_**Hi everyone, so I thought I'd write a FanFiction on Ib, a RPG horror game by Kouri. I really liked the game so here's my story, set in the same timeline as the game. Hope you enjoy it...**_

"Mother? Father?" I called out as I ran into an art gallery, "where are you?"

"Be quiet," a woman snapped at me and I put my clasped hands over my heart.

"Have you seen my Mother?" I asked her in a whisper but she ignored me.

I sighed, forcing my fringe to blow up. I looked around the main entrance of the art gallery, wondering if my parents had come in here. They had mentioned an art gallery in passing, and a particular exhibit they were interested in seeing. Guertena, wasn't it? I fixed my bag on my shoulder and walked to the reception desk.

"Has anyone by the name of Winters come through here?" I asked.

"First names?" the receptionist asked as he looked through the ledger in front of him.

"Jonathon and Marie," I replied.

He looked through it and then to me. He sighed before putting the book back out with the names facing me. A pen now resting for someone to pick up and sign-in.

"No," he replied, "no one by that name has been here today."

"Oh, thanks," I replied as I took out my phone and called Mother.

I got the dial tone, and held it to my ear while looking at the main picture for Guertena. It looked like a whale or a shark, with their mouth open and ready to eat any of the visitors.

"Marie, is currently unavailable to take your call, please leave a message at the beep and hang up when your message is complete," the phone told me in a computerised female voice.

"Mother, I waited for you at the school for half an hour but you didn't pick me up. So I went looking for you. I'm in the Guertena exhibit at the moment, so can you collect me as soon as? Love you, Snow," I said before hanging up.

It was an unusual name, one my mother and father had taken years to think of. That was prior to my birth, and that of my eldest brother. I had two siblings, a sister and a brother. My sister who was thirty and named Serah while my brother who was twenty-five and named James were older than me. I was sixteen and named Snow…Snow Winters. My father has said my hair was like snow…but it really wasn't.

I walked back to the receptionist and took out my wallet.

"The first day of the Guertena exhibit is free," he said with no expression, "but you must sign-in."

I put my wallet back in my bag and signed in my name, adding a flourish that my mother would recognise.

"Snow Winters," he said as he looked at my signature, "here's a pamphlet for the exhibit and please enjoy."

I took the pamphlet and smiled before looking at the map. Upstairs had a few portraits while downstairs had the picture from the poster picture for the exhibit.

"Abyss of the Deep," I whispered before walking towards it.

It was very popular among the guests, and many people considered it magnificent. It was beautiful, if a touch eerie to me. To my left was another picture, this one looked like a mother scolding a child. There was a poster beside it that welcomed the guests to the exhibit. It was rather straight forward, similar to other art galleries. I turned down the hall and came across a pretty red rose, a few petals scattered free. It was named the Embodiment of Spirit. Near it was a picture of a man, with the name 'Coughing Man' underneath. The man appeared healthy. Further down the corridor was one called the Selfless Guard and beside it was another picture but the name was unclear.

I decided to go upstairs, where I was greeted by headless models and a sofa with what appeared as red wire wrapped around it. It looked oddly comfortable, and I wondered where the inspiration for it had come from. Other pictures were around the rooms, but they were all Guertena. Nothing appeared to belong to another artist. So I went down the corridor…and found another picture. This one was longer than the others, with more colour put in it. It was oddly captivating and it appeared like a mirror.

It depicted windows but these were covered in darkness so I looked behind me and there were windows but sunlight was creeping in. So it was like a mirror. The name was almost smudged so I couldn't determine what it was called. But as I leaned in closer…the lights began to flicker.

"Huh?" I asked as I looked up and the lights began to focus once more, "must be a fault in the wiring."

I took to my left and saw the hallway was now clear…of anyone. It must be the fault. Maybe if I found the receptionist..?

I walked down the stairs, and heard the sounds of someone walking. They were loud and echoed in the hallways, making it hard to determine where they were. Were they upstairs? Downstairs? Behind me?

I quickly turned around but nobody was there, and blew out a sigh of relief. I was scared. I walked down half the stairs, my school shoes knocking off the steps before I stopped. The footsteps had stopped, and I could hear someone breathing.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Move!" a voice snapped and I was pushed down the remaining stairs. I cried out as my head hit the wall and the bottom step before I came to a stop. It took a moment for my vision to return to normal before I realised that nobody was around anymore. I stood slowly and limped to the door, feeling my ankle throb. It must have twisted on my way down…forcefully. That person had sounded like a man, impatient.

The front door was locked, and I hit it with my hands.

"Somebody? I'm locked in! Can somebody open the door?" I called out.

The ledger was still open, so I walked over…only to see my name, scribbled in red. No one else's name was there. I gulped as I flipped through it. When I returned to the page with my name on it, it had a child's writing written underneath, in the same red pen.

"Come and play with me, Snow," it said, "come upstairs and look into the mirror."

I shook my head, refusing to go anywhere where that man could be. I didn't want to die here. The writing continued, the same odd red colour that reminded me of blood.

"Come to the ocean then, and I will find you," it said.

A pamphlet was stuck to the page so I could see the picture the child wished me to find. It was the Abyss of the Deep and it was on the bottom floor. I walked towards it, and when I looked to the shark, it appeared to be swimming. Blue footsteps showed me to a break in the velvet barrier. I limped over, and looked down, watching as the blue paint surrounding the shark appeared to be moving, lapping like proper water. I looked down at the ledger I had taken and saw more words.

"Take a dip," it said and I gulped, "and I will find you."

I put the book in my satchel and one foot out before throwing myself further. The painting opened for me, and I sank deeper. Water warmed around me, as air bubbles escaped my lips and I closed my eyes. The last sound I heard…was the shark swimming around me…before I lost consciousness.

_**So what do you think? What's happened to the other visitors? And who is that man? Better yet, whose the child telling Snow where to go. Thanks for reading and please remember to review. I like to know what people think. The next chapter will be up as soon as I can :)**_


	2. Chapter 1: The Blue Room

_**I wrote the next chapter :) Anyway, this is the start of Snow's adventure into the World of Guertena. Enjoy :)**_

(?)

She looked so pretty, almost doll-like when I saw her. Her hair was down her back in an icy platinum blonde colour with a big grey bow at the back of her head. Her skin looked ivory, a touch lighter than my own. Her eyes, when I opened one, were lilac…a strong purple that seemed to contrast with her colour tone. Her lips were pale pink and her cheeks stained with a faint blush. She was in an odd outfit. A short black skirt that went mid-thigh with a black lace edges. Black thigh high tights adorned her legs with dark brown shoes on her feet. Her white shirt stopped at her elbows with a slight puff and she wore a black waistcoat. On the right breast pocket was an emblem…St. Anastasia's High School.

This was done with silver thread that shimmered in the limited light. Her shirt was open a little to show her throat but also the grey/silver ribbon around her neck. It was tied perfectly by a trained hand. A necklace hung from her throat, which I pulled up to look at. A silver locket with a picture inside…of two girls. One was Snow while the other was unknown. Compared to Snow's cool colour tone, this girl was warm. Her skin like warm chocolate and her eyes a deep brown. Her hair was black and in a straight weave style. She was wearing the same outfit as Snow, so this must be what a school uniform looked like. Both girls has charm bracelets so I looked to Snow's wrist and found one there. So were these girls…friends?

I looked Snow over once more, seeing nothing of interest before placing the ledger near her right hand as it reached out and her left hand looked to be cushioning her head. Her legs overlapped and for an outsider, you would think she was asleep. It was only when you saw the blood staining the collar of her shirt from a split lip, the small lump on her head and the bruising on her cheeks and neck…that made you think this girl had been through so much more. From here, I could see one foot, or rather her ankle, was slightly swollen. But all that would pass…and she would be my friend…but not right now. Now I had to find the others…

(Snow)

"Ow," I croaked, "my head hurts."

I raised one hand, my left, to cradle my aching skull. I opened one eye slowly, and then the other before focusing on the bare blue wall in front of me. Where was I? I sat up and felt oddly…lighter. I looked down, and noticed my satchel was missing.

"No!" I called out as I touched my person, "no!"

That had my wallet in it, and the pamphlet…and the ledger. Damn it all! I would need that ledger, and here I was…after dropping it somewhere in the Abyss that was the deep. The shark was probably eating it as I thought about it. I looked down…to look at my hands, when I spotted the medium sized ledger I had been certain I had dropped. Silver writing told me it was the Art Gallery's with their address printed in bold.

"How had it ended up there? It was in my bag…?" I asked as I picked it up to hold.

It was warm, almost as if it had been put on a radiator for the last few hours rather than being on the floor for…

I wasn't sure of the time anymore, and something told me, time stood still here. I opened the ledger and saw my name, though now it was written in blue with a sparkle pen. It looked like a moonlit night, something I enjoyed seeing when I could. Jamille would have loved to own that sparkle pen, and when I thought of her, my hand went to my locket. She would know what to do right now, if she was still alive.

She had gone on a trip with her brother, somewhere in France and they were robbed. But the thieves hadn't stopped there, and now the only thing I had left to remember Jamille by was my charm bracelet. She had picked my charm, a silver bird, and I had picked hers, lipstick. Since her death, her mother had been returned her bracelet, and now Jamille's charm hung from my wrist beside the silver bird. I would never forget her, never want to forget her.

So I stood slowly, knowing it was not smart to stay here for longer than was truly necessary. But no sooner had I stood, that a shooting pain went up my leg from my ankle. I gasped, and leaned against the wall to try and understand what had happened. I then remembered the disembodied voice telling me to move before pushing me down half a flight of stairs. So my ankle was sore, and I would need something to wrap it. I took off the shoe and it eased the pain a little…but I looked odd with one shoe on. So I removed the other before lining them against the wall, collecting the ledger, and looking at my surroundings.

It was a blue corridor, nothing really to write home about. There were two paintings, almost identical in nature with what appeared to be stone stairs leading down to another level. But the colouring was different and what I would have perceived to be the water. One was blue, like my favourite coat and the other was red like lava…or Jamille's favourite lipstick, after purple and black. And then I realised they were mirrors of each other. Neither was the same, they were the exact opposite. Water to lava, the rock formations in opposite directions. Jamille would have loved this.

The ledger warmed so I looked down and opened it. Something was forming words on it, so I looked closer to see it was the child. The sparkle pen continuing to write:

"Go past the water before the lava, and find the embodiment of your soul," it said so I looked past the water picture and started walking. I reached the bottom, and spotted a small table made of mahogany. A crystal vase sat atop it filled with sparkling water, almost like there were diamonds present. But resting within the water, was an emerald green stem which led up to the prettiest black rose I had ever seen.

I had only ever heard of black roses before, known them to be only darker reds or maroon coloured roses that had absorbed black ink over time. But this one, was pure black with drops of dew on the petals. It had a few petals, and I counted out ten before I saw a bulb in the middle with more petals left unopened. It was a treasure in itself as I picked it out of the water. I felt a sting in my heart, and wondered what had caused that. I looked at the rose before twirling it, and decided to pluck one feather light petal free. It came off easily…but I gasped as pain in my heart spread. I dropped to my knees before putting the rose back in the water. The rose sparkled and the petal regrew, and my heart stopped aching. What had just happened?

I got to my feet slowly, putting my hands on the table. I picked the rose up once more and plucked the same petal, felt that pain in my heart before putting it back in the water. It regrew as if it had never happened to begin with.

"So I have to avoid having these petals removed, by anything," I said softly as I picked up the rose again.

I looked to the small table and saw there was a door, but the table was blocking it. I picked up the vase and put it on the floor before moving the table away from the door. I put the vase back and put my hand on the door handle. It opened easily and revealed a small room. One portrait hung from the wall, a woman with turquoise coloured hair. Her eyes were closed in happiness and her hair appeared to be exceeding the frame. I walked closer to see it, and kicked something. I looked down to see a pretty blue key and picked it up. A click told me I had triggered something, so I looked to the door and then to the woman. Her eyes were open now, and watching me. They blinked and her lips turned up into a smile.

"You're here for her," the woman said softly, "she has been ever so lonely since her father left her."

"Who?" I asked before lifting the ledger, "the child?"

"A child, yes, a never-aging child," the portrait replied, "one who needs company beyond our frames. You will find her, or she will find you. But until then, you must stay alive."

"Is my life…?" I asked her, not sure how to phrase the question.

"Your life is linked to that of the rose's. If the rose wilts, you will die and not even the child can bring you back. But there are vases with special elixirs to restore the wilted rose."

"So…this rose…is my life?" and the woman nodded, "and something wants to kill me?"

"Many portraits have lost their minds over the years, abandoned for too long. They will not see you as a friend, and will consider you their prey. Protect your rose from them, unless you do not wish to see her. Then give me your rose, and I will end it for you as quickly as I can. No child deserves to have her hopes dashed. So make your choice."

"It doesn't matter that I am older?" I asked and the woman shook her head, "am I much older?"

"It may not appear it, but the child is older than you," the woman answered, "do you wish to continue?"

Curiosity urged me to look for this girl, while basic logic said I shouldn't leave this spot. I could hand over this rose to the woman, and she would…kill me? Would I return to the art gallery?

"This will be your tomb," the woman said with a frown, "you will be lost to those beyond our world. Anyone left behind…will lose you."

"So my choices are to die now…or die later?" I stated and the woman shrugged her shoulders.

"You may find salvation and return to the world you came from, and the rose will be returned to you in its true form."

"What is it exactly?" and I looked at the black rose.

"Your heart and soul, so protect it. Many lost souls wander these halls, possessing pieces of art to frighten or maim the friends of our young child. So be aware, that what may appear beautiful, may be as artificial as your hair colour."

"Hey!" I said, "my hair is naturally this blonde."

"I'm surprised," she replied, "now make your choice so I can start combing my hair."

I looked at the rose, wondering if I would ever get to see my parents again. I didn't want to be entombed down here, I think that frightened me more than death itself. To know I could possess something and aim to kill another, or hunt them down to maim them. It upset me so I held the rose over my heart, and the woman knew what my answer was.

"You will find the child in the room of the red lady, with hair the colour of gold and eyes like sapphires," the woman said as she pulled up a comb from another piece of her picture, "but remember what I have said. Your rose is linked to your life, so know its value."

"And some portraits here will want to hurt me," I said and she nodded before sighing, "what?"

"Portraits and statues," she said, "we are an odd bunch. So please go, and take care."

She hummed to herself as she combed her hair, which I took as an end to our conversation. I turned before she stopped humming.

"Young girl?" she called and I looked back, "give me that rose for but a moment."

"You won't kill me?"

"I give you my word," she replied so I handed her the rose.

She found a pair of scissors and cut a few strands of hair before cutting the stem of the rose. She tied the remains of the stem around the hair and then caught my hand. She pulled it into her picture and wrapped it like a bracelet on the opposite wrist of the charm bracelet. She wrapped it up to my elbow in pretty turquoise hair before it turned an emerald green like the stem and I felt my heart relax.

"The new stem should make it easier for you to travel with," she said before smiling, "please take care…"

"Snow," I replied and she smiled a tad brighter.

"I am the Woman Of Turquoise," she said before motioning for me to leave.

"Goodbye," I said and she nodded before I opened the door and left her.

"She was nice," I whispered as the door closed and I looked down at the rose, "and the stem is tight. It should stay there quite easily. I think I'll have to pour some of the elixir on my wrist if I want to restore the rose…should anything happen to it."

I took to my right and walked past the picture of rocks in blue and then in red. It seemed I had made my choice, I was going to continue on and find this girl. But there were things out there that wanted me dead. Things…statues and portraits, possessed by spirits that were entombed here. Would it drive me mad? Would I be unable to reach the child? I saw another ledger like my own, but this one had another name written in it…Ib. So was this a person who was alive right now, or someone to look out for. But first things first, I needed a weapon, something to protect myself with…and I was sure the rooms here would offer it to me.

I spotted a new door near a picture of a fish. But it didn't catch my eye as I put the blue key into the lock and opened it. I heard it unlock and took a deep breath…before stepping further into this artistic nightmare…

_**So what do you all think? I named the Portrait of the "Woman Of Turquoise" because she didn't have a name in the game. So Snow now knows the story...well, what to look out for anyway. And she's made up her mind about finding the child. Do you think she made the right choice? And what do you think about Jamille? Will update as soon as I can :) Thanks for reading and please remember to review :)**_


	3. Chapter 2: The Green Room

_**So here's the next chapter, the Green Room :) Hope you enjoy it...**_

I opened the door to be greeted by the colour green, an unnatural amount of green at that. It also appeared I was at the point of a L shaped room. There was a pillar in front of me, with a sign stuck up. To my right were four pictures that I could see, of various creatures. I limped closer and saw the pictures depicted a ladybird, a wasp, a butterfly and a spider. They looked so realistic…that I stepped away in case they reached out of their frames for me.

"Hey!" a squeaky voice snapped, "watch where you're walking!"

I screamed and turned on the sole of my foot before falling to lean on the wall, only to see nothing. What had spoken? Was it like the Woman Of Turquoise?

"Who's there?" I asked, my voice rather shaky.

"Down here," it said, "give me a moment."

Something jumped, the size of my earring and sat on my knee. It was only because it was a light grey colour that I could see it on my black tights. An bug; that was what had spoken? I was certain I was losing my mind.

"What are you?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes.

"I'm an ant," the voice replied, "I love paintings and my painting is really cool. Better than these…imposters," he answered.

"Imposters?" I whispered…only to feel something on my shoulder.

I turned to see a leg…and looked up to see seven more reaching out to me. I screamed and pushed myself away, and the ant clung to my knee as I pushed myself against the other wall to watch the spider as it tried to reach the bottom of his frame.

"Spider!" the ant snapped, "this is her friend!"

"She looks so pretty…I wanted to see her up close," a breathy voice replied, which I took to be the spider.

"She looks like a fresh flower!" a high-pitched female voice said, "and I should know, since I'm the butterfly."

"Butterfly, be nice," the ant said.

"Where's…your painting?" I asked and the ant sighed.

"My painting is past that corridor, and I can't reach it with my legs. I would love to see it again, at least once more," and the ant sighed once more.

"Maybe I could get it for you," I whispered.

"Would you? That would be so nice!"

The ant jumped off my knee and I stood slowly, taking weight off my sore ankle. I looked to my right and then to the pillar, wondering which way was this painting.

"Go past the pillar, sweetie," a softer female voice whispered.

"Thank you…"

"I am the Ladybird, our dear friend the Wasp does not speak often," she replied.

"Your ankle…?" the ant said.

"I fell down some stairs," I replied.

"There's statues and mannequins, remember to take some cloth and wrap it," Butterfly said.

I nodded and walked to the pillar and the sign to see what was written.

"Beware of edges," I whispered.

I stepped around the pillar and took to my right, hugging the wall, thinking the edges had to be the corners. I kept walking…only for a hand to reach out and pull two petals free from the rose. I screamed, and pulled away to land on the floor in the middle of the corridor painfully. My heart was racing, and my ankle was throbbing. Somehow, it had gotten worse. Was it because of the missing petals…or was it because I was putting weight on my ankle?

I decided to crawl, with hands reaching out for me before I made to the end. Four more hands reached out to grab petals before I made it to the other side of the room. I got to my feet slowly, my ankle was pulsing so I braced myself against the wall. A small book, like the ledger, was on another table. I limped to it and saw Ib was written again. So who was this person?

"Can you see my painting?" a voice called out and I was reminded of the ant's request.

I looked to the walls and spotted one of the ant. It was the same colour as the creature I had spoken with so I looked closer. The painting was barely hanging from the wall so it was easy to remove. I took it off, only for the wire holding it up to take a petal. I screamed, tears dripping down my face as the pain increased by another degree. If this was after three petals…how would it be after I lost nine? Or even ten?

I held the painting close and returned to the reaching hands and made sure to limp between them. They couldn't reach me and when I reached the pillar, I leaned against it to take a breath. I then took the right and went to the ant. He was talking to the Butterfly and the Spider while the wasp buzzed away happily. I stood for a moment before falling to my knees, and the chatter stopped.

"You found my picture!" the ant enthused.

"What happened, sweetie?" the Ladybird asked.

"Beware…of edges," I croaked.

"Oh those foolish souls," the Wasp finally spoke, "can't appear to keep their hands to themselves."

The ant moved closer to inspect his painting and I was certain he smiled that it was still pretty. But I couldn't seem to smile, as the pain in my ankle spread to my knee.

"There's a hole in the floor, up past our paintings, use his painting to cross," the Butterfly whispered.

"Hey!" the ant muttered.

"You owe her that much for retrieving it to begin with," Wasp stated.

"Fine," the ant conceded before I got to my feet, "remember to find something to wrap your ankle."

I limped past their paintings and came across four new ones, depicting a story rather than a person. The prologue, chapter 1, chapter 2 and the final chapter. I wondered if that was to illustrate this artistic nightmare. There was a green door so I went to it and opened it slowly, only to see a small additional corridor. I stepped in and saw what the Butterfly had hinted at. There was a hole in the floor that appeared to go on for a while. I put the painting down and made sure it was secure before I stepped on it. It ripped under my weight as I got across, only to see a small tear forming where the ant's right middle leg would have been.

Another door led to a different room so I opened it and stepped out. At the wall as another picture and a headless mannequin wearing a red dress and red heels. At her feet was a green key. The Butterfly's words echoed around me as I stepped closer and reached the mannequin. She didn't move as I ripped parts off her dress so I could wrap my ankle. I undid one stocking to wrap my ankle, and then used the stocking to wrap around the dress. My ankle eased, but not completely. I got to my feet slowly and reached out for the key, feeling how cool it was to touch.

"Thank you," I whispered before holding the key to my heart.

I turned my back on the mannequin and limped to the door.

"Give…it…back…" a disembodied voice called out, "thi…ef…"

I turned around to see the mannequin raise her arms to grab me, and I screamed before limping away. I pulled the door open as the mannequin picked up speed and I threw myself over the ant picture only to hear it rip more. I braced myself against the wall, tears streaming down my face as I held the key. I didn't want to die, I wanted to go back to the art gallery…I wanted to be with Jamille.

The mannequin moved closer, putting her foot on the painting. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see her pull the petals free, scatter them around me as the pain increased in my already sore body. I didn't want to hear her voice as it grated in my ears.

A scream echoed in the room and I opened one eye before the other. The painting was destroyed, and one kick from me removed it from the bridge. It was just another hole in the floor. But the mannequin was gone, and…she must have fallen down the hole.

"I have to get out of here," I croaked as I left the room and limped faster to the creatures. The ant was mumbling as I walked by them and to the pillar. I needed some of that elixir or I'd never be able to make it to the child. I needed that security. But no vase stood in this green room, so maybe in the next room.

"Where's…the way out?" I asked.

"Where you retrieved the painting, sweetie," the Butterfly replied.

"Thank you," I whispered as I crawled past the reaching hands and to the ledger.

Ib's name still shimmered in a pretty red as I got to my feet and walked to the door. It was as green as the room, and now I felt ill. I really wanted to get sick. I put my forehead on the door, and put the key in the lock. If there was something waiting for me…on the other side, I wanted to know now. But nothing but darkness greeted me. I opened the door wide, and saw it was a corridor leading to another room. So I limped forward, grazing the wall with my fingers before they came into contact with something hard. I lifted it up, and saw it was a sword, like from a statue. It had a sharp blade with ribbons around the handle and black roses. But these roses were dyed black from their original deep red. But I had a weapon, to keep me safe.

I continued walking, and opened the next door, to find myself in the room of the yellow cat…

_**So what do you all think? The creatures/insects were pretty helpful and the mannequin? I'll update the story as soon as I can, but I hope you enjoyed it up to now, and please remember to review it. I like to know what people think and also that you enjoyed reading the chapter. Or if there's anything you think I was missing... :)**_


	4. Chapter 3: The Yellow Room

_**Hi everyone, here's the next chapter: The Yellow Room :) Enjoy :)**_

The cat's eyes were tearful, almost like my own. They were larger than I was, and looked to me as if I had the answer to every question. It sniffled, its nose twitched. A spot was open where its mouth would have been and I stepped closer to see what it was. It was shaped…like a fish. But no signs of a fish were visible.

"Is this the key?" I asked.

"Meow," the cat replied.

"Do you want the fish?" and the cat purred, "then I will find it for you."

"Meow," the cat replied cheerfully as I took to my left, feeling I might find a piece of the fish there, if not the full thing. Seeing as there were two corridors, it could only be assumed that the fish had been broken into halves so a person would have to explore. I was grateful for some light, so I could see where I was.

I opened the door to the left path and found myself in a room bathed in a soft glow. Eight pillars stood tall with a small platform near the top. But when I looked at the room closer, I became aware that only seven of them were covered by curtains. One of them exposed a stick figure man, whose eyes seemed haunting. I stepped closer and saw some writing underneath him.

"Play hide and seek?" it asked me.

The ledger warmed a little and I moved the sword so I could open it. The pen had changed to a crayon orange and the writing was now messier than before.

"Find the man among the concealed," it said and I nodded.

"Let's play," I whispered and I heard a giggle echo around the room. It seemed I had made the right choice.

I looked to the curtain to my left and saw now it had a yellow button underneath it. I walked towards it, and pushed the button, only for the curtain to reveal a moon. The lights dimmed and I heard footsteps. So I wasn't alone, and there were things in this place that wanted to find me alone. So I continued searching, until I pushed the button that revealed a naked woman. She turned her face to look at me before screaming and reaching out to take a petal. I screamed myself before going to the bottom aisle. I chose one opposite the moon and a red handprint was there, bright red in blood.

"This is mine…" and another petal was taken from me.

I whimpered, now down five petals. I went to the picture to the left of the handprint and pushed the button, to reveal the stick figure man and he appeared to be smiling.

"You found me," he whispered, "you deserve the prize."

I left him after I heard something fall and walked towards the platform, where the head of the fish key was now present. I picked it up with my sword and ledger, to continue on. I walked past the purring cat before the ledger warmed up. I opened it slowly, to see a picture of a girl lifting her skirt to push the sword through so it could rest against her hip. So I did that, and it acted like a sheath for the sword so I didn't have to carry it in my hands. The ledger was fine as was the fish head so I walked into the opposite room, hoping it would be easier on me.

The room was filled with statues and mannequins that were not used. They felt empty to me, not possessed by any wandering souls. The lights dimmed a little and I felt frightened and tired. I noticed a painting on the wall and decided to investigate it. It was a red rose, far finer than anything I had seen in my life. I ran my hand along the paint, feeling creases where the artist had added more layers of paint, to give the picture vibrancy…to give it life.

I walked past it and searched in the boxes for the tail of the fish, hoping; it was somewhere close. The sound of something being pushed along the floor sent shivers up my spine as I turned to see one of the statues moving towards me. So I was wrong, there was something possessed in this room. I pulled back, aiming to climb the boxes and hope the statue couldn't follow me.

It continued to push itself across the floor towards me, and it fell. Shards of marble scattered and nothing took its place in the chase. I left my spot to investigate, seeing the tail of the fish on the floor among the shards. By the bust's end, there was a hole in the floor, something I could have tripped on. So the statue had…tripped? I took the tail and looked at the halves.

There was a small clicking piece which I connected and the fish became one once more. I held it close as I got to my feet and limped the long way around, by the red rose before escaping into the cat's room. The cat was crying, and I showed it the fish before putting it in the place of the key. It meowed, forcing me to cover my ears as the sound hurt them.

"Before you leave," a detached voice whispered, "there is elixir in the statue's room."

I smiled and returned to the statue room and located the vase, finding it was filled with water that looked like diamonds swam around. I picked up the vase and tipped the contents on my wrist. Petals formed around the rose, taking up the spaces that the petals had been removed from. The dew returned to grace the petals like smaller diamonds. My ankle stopped throbbing, but it was still sore. My lip felt less…swollen, though I hadn't noticed that it was prior to this. And my head, which had a dull ache, had faded to nothing. How hurt was I? How much would it take to keep me down?

I returned to the cat, and saw a path had opened up. Leading through it and it was now purring quite loudly. It must have been a happy cat now, that it had its fish. So I touched the ledger, and the handle of the sword, my reassurances, before I walked down the corridor. It led to an extension of the cat room and to my left, was another ledger. I walked towards it, and saw Ib written in red. So that person had made it here.

A picture hung from the wall and it reminded me of Super Mario and one of the ghosts before it chased you. It ran its tongue along the edges of what would have been its lips before spitting at me. I avoided what it threw, and saw a vial of blue liquid. It looked toxic, and appeared to be melting the floor. I wasn't going near that. Beside it was a white painting, which reminded me of a milk puzzle that my friend Mark had tried and failed to complete. Though the difference between the two, was this one was complete, and Mark's one was in the bin with the remains of a turkey. I looked closer, and noticed a small number…9. I wondered what that was for…

I walked past the wiggling poster and saw a sign on the floor which I picked up carefully to view.

"Just when you've forgotten," it stated plainly and I tried to remember what I could have forgotten along this journey of mine. So I took to my right to see another hand drawn note like that which had been in the ledger.

"You don't need the ledger anymore," it said, "so leave it. But beware of lips."

"Beware of lips?" I asked as I put the ledger down by the sign.

I continued down the corridor and saw lips on the wall, and it was making an odd moaning sound.

"I'm so hungry…" it whispered.

"How long have you been without food?" I asked.

"Too long," the voice replied, "will you find food for me? Or give me your rose?"

"I'll find something," I said as I stepped away to avoid being bitten.

I returned to the corridor with the sign, and wondered what I'd forgotten. The corridor looked familiar, almost like I had walked down it before. I took to the centre and walked up, leaning towards the right when I saw bodies hanging from the ceiling. What the hell?

I had become so distracted that I missed what I had forgotten, and a hand reached out and took a petal off my rose. I screamed and threw myself forward to get away from it. So that was what I had forgotten…really? I had been so preoccupied with the face, the ledgers…the cat; that I had forgotten about the hands. I looked to the long corridor of bodies on my right and then the small corridor on my left leading to a yellow door. I went to the door, hoping it would get me out of here sooner. Someone had written on the wall, calling it the "Liars' Room". I opened the door slowly and saw the 'liars'.

Six pictures were placed on the wall, silhouettes of non-existent people but their clothes were different colours.

"Green, brown, yellow," I said as I pointed to my left, "blue, white, red."

I looked to them all, and they started laughing. It was almost like I had interrupted a party. They seemed to want to stay on their respective side.

"Young girl," the green woman said, "do you wish to find the treasure?"

"Treasure?" I asked as I walked towards her.

"In the room that divides us," the brown one replied.

"Is it the only way I can find the child?" I asked.

"So you're her new friend," the yellow one said in a British accent, "well, to get to her, you have to determine whose telling the truth."

"And if I guess wrong?" I asked.

"Well, you'll have to return to us, with one less rose petal," the blue woman answered.

"Okay," I replied, "who first?"

"Stand in front of the statue, go west 3 steps, then south 1 step. That's the answer!" the green woman stated with a smile.

"Stand in front of the statue, go east 4 steps, then north two steps. That's the answer," the brown dress woman stated.

"The one in white speaks the truth," yellow called out to me as I went to the other side of the room.

"The only truth speaker wears green!" blue called out with a grin.

"Stand in front of the statue, go east two steps, then south two steps. That's the answer!" the white woman stated in a girlish voice.

"I agree with the one in yellow!" red stated as she sipped a glass of wine.

I stepped back to look between them, as they laughed. But it was the woman in brown who was quiet.

"You're the truth speaker," I stated as I walked over to her frame, "you gave directions while the others pointed fingers. You were never mentioned by the others…so you're the truth speaker in the room of liars."

"Then follow my directions and find the answer," the woman stated softly.

"LIAR!" a woman snapped and the brown woman was stabbed.

"Liar!" and that began the bloodbath between the pictures, and my clothes were covered in real blood. I walked into the room and saw a statue looking bothered.

"Do you have directions?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied and stood in front of him.

I took four steps to the east and then two north, where my foot connected with a loose tile. I picked it up and saw a number on it. 4 was written in a pretty purple, like my eyes. I took the tile with me and returned to the room, to see the brown dress woman was 'murdered' while the others were bathed in her blood. Each was chanting 'LIAR!', so I left the room.

So these numbers meant something. I limped back to the milk puzzle and saw the number 9 was in red.

"9 red, 4 purple," I chanted as I went to the corridor of the bodies. I looked at the ones hanging by their feet and when I touched one that was lower down than the others, and it acted as a lever. A body behind it dropped to the floor and I jumped.

When I had caught my breath, I ventured closer and saw cotton coming out of its neck. So it wasn't a body, it was a doll. But on the back of the doll was a number in green, 18.

"9 red, 4 purple, 18 green," I chanted as I spotted a door and walked towards it.

There was a sum on it, so I walked closer to see what I had to do. Did it involve the numbers I had already gotten?

"X (Green) x X (Red) + X (Purple) =?," I said, "so 18 x 9 + 4…."

I counted it in my head, and found the first two equalled 162 and then I added 4…to get 166. I put the numbers in and heard the chime telling me I had gotten the right answer. I put my hand on the door handle and opened it, to find myself in a forest of tree models. Only one of them had an apple on it, so I stepped closer.

"Beware of lips," I whispered as I took the apple, "maybe I could feed it this?"

I left the room and heard it lock behind me. So if I had made a mistake…I wouldn't have been able to return. I walked past the dolls and down the corridor where another reaching hand tried to catch me. I held the apple to my chest tight as I went to the lips, and hoped this was what it wanted.

I reached it to hear it moaning but it stopped when I got closer.

"Food…" it croaked.

"I have an apple," I said.

"Give it to me," it ordered and I dropped it into its open mouth, where it began chewing.

The wooden apple splintered, and I flinched. That must hurt to eat. It moaned in delight when it was gone.

"Thank you, you can get into the next room by going through my mouth," it said softly.

"You sure you won't eat me?"

"Of course I won't!" it said.

I put my hands on the edges of the lips and saw a dark tunnel. I stepped in and followed the path, finding myself in another room with pictures of a guillotine. The blade was slowly going up, and up. So was Guertena marking its motion? I stopped moving when the blade went out of sight on the second last portrait and took small steps. This place was a trap for people like me. I stopped a metre from where the blade decided to drop and met the ground. It was out of its portrait and had made the floor crack.

I was glad I had slowed down, because that would have killed me. There were steps going down to another room, so I took another deep breath and took a step.

"Too slow!" a childish voice called out, and I was pushed down the stairs…once more.

_**So what did you think? Whose the child who pushed Snow down the stairs? Will she find this child soon? And the Liars Room? I hope you liked this chapter, and please review so I know what people think. If you think I'm missing anything, let me know :)**_


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